Jack, the round-headed fictional chief executive in Jack-in-the-Box commercials, is not only a hit on television. He's also popular on Wall Street. In the last year, investors have driven the company's stock price up more than 80% - and industry analysts are bullish about the company's future. Jack in the Box Inc.'s profit was up sharply in its recently completed fiscal first quarter, as sales increased at its flagship restaurants and at the company's other brand, Qdoba Mexican Grill.

CBS has "The Big Bang Theory" and its boss has an astronomical paycheck. Leslie Moonves, the network's chief executive, was awarded a $66.9-million compensation package last year, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday. That was up nearly 8% from the $62.2-million package he got in 2012, a year that also kept Moonves ‎in a rarefied group of the nation's most handsomely compensated corporate executives. Moonves was paid $3.5 million in salary and received a $28.5-million bonus.

Allen E. Puckett, one of the engineers who after World War II built Los Angeles-based Hughes Aircraft Co. into the nation's leading defense electronics firm - dominant in the markets for air defense, radar systems, tactical missiles and satellites - has died. He was 94. One of the nation's top technologists and defense executives during the Cold War, Puckett died March 31 at his home in Pacific Palisades after suffering a stroke. His wife, Marilyn, confirmed his death. "Allen Puckett was one of the guiding spirits of Hughes Aircraft," said Malcolm Currie, a former deputy defense secretary who later followed in Puckett's footsteps as another president of the company.

High-level Los Angeles officials were scrambling Wednesday after the City Council approved an ordinance that could have inadvertently boosted the pay of its top executives - a move portrayed by Council President Herb Wesson as "a mistake. " The council voted unanimously for a two-year salary plan covering non-union employees. A document prepared for the council suggested that there would be three increases over the next 15 months - 2.75% in June, 2.75% in December and 2.75% in June 2015 - for about three dozen department heads, including top executives at the police, planning, parks, library and transportation departments.

When San Fernando was on its way to winning the City Section Divison I championship last season, the Tigers were relying on pitching and defense. Now Sylmar (13-3, 5-0) is showing the Tigers how it's done. On Tuesday in the first game of a big two-game Valley Mission League series, pitcher Victor Ramirez allowed three hits, struck out four and walked none in Sylmar's 2-0 victory over San Fernando. The Spartans handed two-time All-City pitcher Alonzo Garcia his first-ever loss in league play over the last three seasons.

It's hard to get executions right. This week, the Supreme Court denied appeals by Louisiana and Missouri death row inmates who argued that they were entitled to know the source of the drugs with which they are to be executed, and that denial of that information compromises their right to due process. It's unclear why the court refused to hear the cases, but the underlying argument remains potent. Another challenge is underway in Oklahoma, where two inmates are seeking stays of execution because state officials have revised protocols on the fly as the lethal drugs they usually use have become more difficult to obtain.

WASHINGTON - President Obama used his executive power and a hot-button issue to try to stoke support from a key election-year constituency Tuesday, as he issued two directives aimed at ensuring federal contractors pay women as much as men for equal work. Surrounding himself with female supporters at the White House, Obama signed an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against employees who talk about how much money they make. Advocates say secrecy about salaries is a major contributor to the gap in average pay between male and female workers in the United States, which the White House says means women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The president also ordered contractors to report data to the government showing the compensation paid to employees by gender and race.

WASHINGTON - President Obama plans two new executive actions this week to promote equal pay for women - and to promote equal pay as a critical issue for Democrats this election year. One action, an executive order, will prohibit federal contractors from retaliating against employees who talk about how much money they make, according to an administration official familiar with the plans. The other, a presidential memorandum, will require contractors to report data to the government showing the compensation they provide their employees by sex and race.

A capacity crowd will be ready for some baseball as the Dodgers play their home opener Friday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants. Whether the Dodgers were ready for all of those fans will be determined by what happens before, during and after the game. Along with spending for the product on the field -- the richest collection of talent in baseball history -- the Dodgers have invested more than $150 million the last two seasons on the ballpark itself, upgrading the infrastructure and adding some fan-friendly features.

Four minutes before Hyun-Jin Ryu threw the first pitch of the Dodgers' home opener Friday, Time Warner Cable hit the send button. Vin Scully had just handed the ceremonial first pitch to Sandy Koufax, two of the most beloved sports figures in Los Angeles history teaming up to welcome baseball back to Dodger Stadium. It was a goosebump moment in person and on television, except that most of Southern California cannot see the Dodgers on television. In an email blast to DirecTV subscribers demanding their Dodgers, TWC put the blame on DirecTV.